EPA Response Activity -
September 3

EPA boat operations in New Orleans, which had been halted temporarily,
resumed with an additional 50 people rescued. Approximately 550 rescues
have been made by EPA.

EPA is assisting the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals in
assessing drinking water and will deploy 45 more EPA personnel to Louisiana
during the week of Sept. 5. EPA is providing assistance on water assessment
to Mississippi at its emergency operations center and expects to assist
with site assessments. EPA estimates the number of water systems affected
by the hurricane is now 72 in Alabama, 436 in Louisiana and 466 in Mississippi.
Systems running on generators will need additional fuel to stay operational.
An EPA mobile laboratory will be deployed next week to provide analytical
services as drinking water service is restored to communities.

EPA is continuing collection and analysis of flood water samples for
biological and chemical contaminants in Louisiana.

EPA has mobilized 12 environmental emergency response teams to provide
assistance with overall search and recovery efforts and is conducting
initial assessments of the environmental impacts including potential impacts
from chemical facilities, oil refineries, and water treatment plants.
Rapid needs assessment is being done over the next two days to identify
damage in New Orleans. EPA and state officials are compiling a comprehensive
database of potential pollution sources in preparation for additional
over-flights and on-ground inspections in the coming weeks.

EPA's environmental surveillance aircraft is being used to assess spills
and chemical releases. On Sept. 2, the aircraft surveyed the smoke plume
of a fire at a reported chemical facility. Low levels of chemical compounds
were detected in air.

EPA personnel continue to oversee and offer technical assistance in the
disposal of hazardous waste and other debris left behind by the storm.
Teams are working closely with the Coast Guard to conduct assessments
of potential oil spills and chemical releases caused by the hurricane.
EPA will be providing environmental guidelines for residences and commercial
buildings. EPA has practical and scientific expertise in the environmental
health hazards caused by flood waters, especially the effects of molds
and mildew.

EPA emergency response personnel are working in partnership with FEMA
to continue to help assess the damage and prepare for cleanup in the wake
of Hurricane Katrina. EPA is responsible for cleanup of hazardous material
including oil and gasoline in the area. Our national and regional Emergency
Operations Centers are activated 24 hours a day.

EPA Response Activity -
September 2

EPA today began collecting and analyzing flood water samples in Louisiana
for biological and chemical contaminants. EPA estimates 684 drinking water
systems have been affected by the hurricane: 72 in Alabama,, 434 in Louisiana
and 178 in Mississippi. Systems running on generators will need additional
fuel to stay operational. EPA's mobile laboratory is in Baton Rouge providing
technical analysis to help drinking water systems restore service.

EPA's environmental surveillance aircraft, ASPECT, is being used to assess
spills and chemical releases. The ASPECT plane was deployed today to assess
a chemical fire in New Orleans. The plane flew 4 passes over the facility
at 3000' altitude. Results show that although the smoke plume from the
fire was very large and very visible, very little chemical contamination
was detected in the plume. Very low levels (less than 10 ppm) of ethylene,
methanol, chlorinated methane (Freon 22), and possibly isoprene were detected.
These chemicals were detected only directly over the fire and have not
been detected downwind..

The Army Corps of Engineers has requested EPA provide 50 personnel to
perform environmental assessments of construction sites for temporary
housing efforts. EPA personnel continue to oversee and offer technical
assistance in the disposal of hazardous waste and other debris left behind
by the storm. Teams are working closely with the Coast Guard to conduct
assessments of potential oil spills and chemical releases caused by the
hurricane. EPA will be providing environmental guidelines for residences
and commercial buildings. EPA has practical and scientific expertise in
the environmental health hazards caused by flood waters, especially the
effects of molds and mildew.

With 69 EPA watercraft available for rescue efforts, approximately 500
rescues have been made by EPA. Boat operations have been discontinued,
however, until the Federal Emergency Management Agency deems it safe to
resume them.

EPA emergency response personnel are working in partnership with the
FEMA to continue to help assess the damage and prepare for cleanup in
the wake of Hurricane Katrina. EPA is responsible for cleanup of hazardous
material including oil and gasoline in the area. EPA's national and regional
Emergency Operations Centers are activated 24 hours a day

EPA Response Activity - September 1

EPA emergency response personnel are working in partnership with the
Federal Emergency Management Agency to continue to help assess the damage
and prepare for cleanup in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. EPA is responsible
for cleanup of hazardous materials including oil and gasoline in the area.
EPA employees have been deployed to the region to assist with assessment
and cleanup. Our national and regional Emergency Operations Centers are
currently operating 24 hours a day.

EPA has mobilized 12 environmental emergency response teams to the affected
areas in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. These teams are providing
assistance with overall "search and recovery" efforts and are conducting
initial assessments of the environmental impacts of Hurricane Katrina,
including potential impacts from chemical facilities, oil refineries and
water treatment plants. EPA is operating 69 watercraft to the area to
support the rescue efforts. EPA's New Orleans response team has helped
in over 200 rescues using watercraft. EPA's environmental surveillance
aircraft is being used to assess spills and chemical releases along the
coasts of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.

EPA teams are currently assessing, evaluating, and supporting drinking
water and wastewater facilities in the hurricane area. EPA estimates that
the number of water systems affected by the hurricane is 60 in Alabama,
290 in Louisiana and 130 in Mississippi. Those systems that are running
on generators will need additional fuel to stay operational. EPA is sending
its mobile laboratory to Baton Rouge today to provide technical analysis
to help drinking water systems restore service. EPA also is coordinating
a multi-state water-quality-testing analytical network to aid systems
in recovering.

EPA personnel are overseeing and offering technical assistance in the
disposal of hazardous materials and other debris left behind by the storm.
Teams are working closely with the Coast Guard to conduct assessments
of potential oil spills and chemical releases caused by the hurricane.
EPA's debris task force is preparing a debris management plan and evaluating
landfill conditions and capacity in the hurricane area.

Environmentally safe clearance standards for the re-occupation of residences
and commercial buildings will be established by EPA. EPA has practical
and scientific expertise in the environmental health hazards caused by
flood waters, especially the effects of molds and mildew.

EPA Response Activity - August 31

EPA emergency response personnel continue to help assess damage and prepare
for cleanup in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. EPA is responsible
for cleaning up releases of oil and other hazardous materials in the area.
Currently our efforts continue to be focused on aiding the priority for
'search and rescue' efforts in affected areas.

We are coordinating with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the
US Coast Guard, and other federal and state agencies. Our emergency operations
centers are in operation and our staff is working in national and regional
interagency response coordination centers. Response efforts are now underway
24 hours a day.

In Mississippi and Alabama:

EPA has staged 7 assessment teams in Alabama to assess affected areas
in both Alabama and Mississippi and 3 assessment teams in Mississippi.
We are coordinating closely with the Coast Guard to conduct assessments
of potential spills and releases. A Water Division Assistance Team has
been deployed to Mississippi to assess damage to local drinking water
systems and help restore the systems to deliver safe drinking water in
the affected areas.

EPA has mobilized 4 response teams to Louisiana and has provided boats
to the affected areas to assist with search and rescue.

EPA is preparing to deploy personnel to assist the Louisiana Department
of Health and Human Services to assist drinking water supply systems as
they restore healthy water supplies to communities. EPA is evaluating
the need for chlorine to restore systems in Louisiana. 'Boil Water' notices
are likely to remain in effect even after supplies are restored, as many
systems may face long-term repairs to their distribution systems. EPA
is currently working on waivers for the treatment and discharge of flood
waters.

Our Baton Rouge team is coordinating with local federal/state response
planning entities, the State of Louisiana Department of Environmental
Quality to prepare plans for future removal of debris and disposal.

Yesterday, EPA deployed our ASPECT
airplane over Baton Rouge and New Orleans to conduct over-flight assessments
of spills as well as possible airborne chemical releases. The aircraft
was scheduled to conduct assessments of 4 areas beginning near Baton Rouge
and continuing south and east past the New Orleans area. Details of the
assessment are pending.

EPA staff is standing by around the country to travel where needed to
aid the overall federal effort. We are evaluating our laboratory capacity
for analyzing floodwaters and are considering how to remove polluted floodwaters.

We will release information from environmental assessments as it becomes
available.

Nationwide fuel waiver issued to bolster
fuel supplies

Emergency fuel waivers issued nationwide Aug 31 - In
order to increase the supply of gasoline and minimize potential gasoline
supply disruptions caused by Hurricane Katrina, EPA is waiving the requirement
to sell "summer gasoline" which contains a lower volatility limit. This
action has the effect of allowing early use of wintertime gasoline. EPA
is also allowing the use of diesel fuel which exceeds 500 ppm sulfur content.
Both waivers are effective immediately and will continue through September
15th of this year and are applicable throughout all 50 states, U.S. territories
and the District of Columbia.

Thank you very much. Today, I am exercising my authority under the Clean
Air Act to temporarily waive specific standards for gasoline and diesel
fuels to ensure that the Hurricane Katrina natural disaster does not result
in serious fuel supply interruptions around the country.

As we are all well aware, we are seeing increasingly serious impacts
from the hurricane in a number of fuel markets around the United States.
Yesterday afternoon I exercised this authority with respect to four states:
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. It has become clear that
the consequences of the hurricane have become more widespread. So today,
I'm sending letters to the governors of the remaining 46 states and territories
providing temporary relief from volatility and sulfur standards. This
action will result in a needed increase in fuel supply.

These waivers are necessary to ensure that fuel is available throughout
the country to address public health issues and emergency vehicle supply
needs. Under the Clean Air Act emergency authority, I am making the waivers
effective through September 15, 2005. These waivers only apply to volatility
standards - the rate at which fuel evaporates - and the amount of sulfur
in fuel.

EPA is committed to working with our state and federal partners to address
this extraordinary national disaster.

EPA Response Activity - August 30

EPA emergency response personnel are helping assess damage and prepare
for cleanup in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. We are responsible
for cleaning up releases of oil and other hazardous materials in the area.

We are coordinating with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the
US Coast Guard, and other federal and state agencies. Our emergency operations
centers are operating, and our staff are working in national and regional
interagency response coordination centers. Response efforts are now underway
24 hours a day.

We have committed $500,000 for initial field efforts in each state of
Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. Three EPA teams are traveling each
are traveling to Alabama and Mississippi. The Alabama teams are meeting
in Mobile. The Mississippi teams are meeting in Hattiesburg and moving
toward the coastal areas of Gulf Shores and Biloxi as those areas become
accessible. Another team is in Mississippi to assess damage to and help
repair local drinking water systems. Mobile command centers in each state
provide local office space and equipment to coordinate efforts. Recreational
vehicles are being sent as needed to provide temporary staff housing.

In addition to ground teams, an EPA on-scene coordinator flew with the
Coast Guard on August 30 to assess coastal Alabama and Mississippi. They
are examining industrial facilities, water treatment plants, and power
plants.

In Louisana, flooding has prevented EPA teams from reaching the affected
areas, so our efforts are limited to aerial inspections. Our Airborne
Spectral Photometric Environmental Collection Technology (ASPECT) airplane
is flying over Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Initially, the flight plan
will cover from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, New Orleans to the Delta,
the Delta north, and the Delta West. The crew's primary goal is to examine
oil and chemical facilities, but they will also look at other buildings
in the area.

Aerial inspections may take several days to complete. Communication
with our field teams during this period is extremely limited.

Additional EPA staff are standing by around the country to travel where
needed.

We are evaluating our laboratory capacity for analyzing floodwaters.
In addition, we are considering how to remove polluted floodwaters.

We will release information from environmental assessments as it becomes
available.

Aug 30 - EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson has determined that the
impact of Hurricane Katrina created an "extreme and unusual fuel supply
circumstance" in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. The situation
will prevent the distribution of an adequate supply of fuel to consumers
that is compliant with the Clean Air Act. This is "a natural disaster,
that could not reasonably have been foreseen or prevented and not attributable
to a lack of prudent planning on the part of the suppliers of the fuel
to these affected States," according to a fuel waiver granted to the states
by the EPA today.

Under the Clean Air Act, EPA will temporarily allow all parties in the
fuel distribution system, including refiners, importers, distributors,
carriers and retail outlets (regulated parties) to
supply gasoline meeting a Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) standard of 9.0 psi
in areas of the affected states where a lower RVP is required.

Further, because of the expected shortage of motor vehicle diesel fuel
meeting the 500 parts per million (ppm) sulfur standard, EPA will temporarily
allow regulated parties to supply motor vehicle diesel
fuel to affected states having a sulfur content greater than 500 ppm.

This waiver is effective immediately and will continue through the remainder
of the high-ozone period, through Sept. 15, 2005. However, retail outlets
or wholesale purchaser-consumers that receive motor vehicle diesel fuel
having a sulfur content greater than 500 ppm, under the terms of this
waiver may continue selling or dispensing this fuel after Sept. 15, 2005,
until their supplies are depleted.

Spill Notification

Aug 29 - As business and industry officials return to their facilities
in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the EPA reminds them to report spills
to the National Response Center. The Center is integral to these facilities'
long-established procedures in preparedness and planning for natural disasters
like hurricanes. The Center serves as the sole point of contact for reporting
all oil, chemical, radiological and biological releases in the United
States.

Industries and businesses that encounter spills or discharges in the
hurricane's aftermath should contact the Center immediately at (800) 424-8802
or (202) 267-2675. The Center is available to take calls 24 hours a day,
7 days a week, 365 days a year.

The Center supplies EPA's response personnel with incident reports of
oil discharges and chemical releases. This information helps EPA determine
the Agency's next steps in responding to the natural disaster. The information
from the Center's reports, coupled with the Federal Emergency Management
Agency's Rapid Needs Assessment, will help EPA ensure the protection of
public health and the environment. EPA also coordinates with state and
local agencies to support the affected communities.

An additional emergency response
tool is the ASPECT plane, which was developed through a partnership
between EPA and the U.S. Department of Defense. ASPECT, or Airborne Spectral
Photometric Environmental Collection Technology, is operated by EPA and
provides emergency responders with information on possible chemical releases.
The ASPECT plane provides near-real-time data to first reponders on the
ground. EPA anticipates deploying the plane as soon as conditions allow.

EPA will continue to provide information as it becomes available. Reporters
should contact the EPA Press Office at (214) 665-2200 for interviews and
additional information.

Helping states manage fuel supplies

As of August 29, 3:00 p.m., Florida has been the only state to send a
formal request to EPA for assistance in managing fuel supplies in areas
affected by Hurricane Katrina.

In response to a request from the Florida Department of Environmental
Protection (Florida DEP) last week, EPA notified Florida DEP that EPA
will exercise its enforcement discretion to allow regulated parties to
supply gasoline with a Reid Vapor Pressure up to 9.0 psi through midnight
Tuesday, August 30, 2005. Additionally, EPA will exercise its enforcement
discretion to allow regulated parties to supply motor vehicle diesel fuel
meeting the 500 ppm sulfur standard through Friday, September 2, 2005,
in counties affected by Katrina.

EPA will continue to monitor Hurricane Katrina and to work closely with
the states impacted by the hurricane.

EPA Prepares for Hurricane
Katrina

Aug 28 - In response to FEMA's call for help, EPA has activated its response
network and has personnel at the FEMA center in Denton, Texas, the State
of Louisiana command center in Baton Rouge, the Mississippi Emergency
Operations Center in Jackson, and the Alabama Emergency Operations Center
in Clinton. EPA is responsible for coordinating work to address oil and
chemical spills in the area.

Once safe travel into the impacted area is possible, EPA will deploy
additional response members to help ensure measures to protect public
health and the environment can be taken quickly. In the wake of a natural
disaster, EPA assists state and local authorities in conducting aerial
and ground surveillance to evaluate potential problems involving oil and
hazardous chemicals.

Last year, EPA deployed about 150 Response Support Corps members from
across the country to Florida to help the disaster victims. EPA went door-to-door
in the disaster-affected communities to disseminate information about
available disaster assistance.

Created in 2003 to enhance EPA's emergency preparedness, the Response
Support Corps is a pool of several hundred employees from across the country
to provide assistance during emergency response.